By The River Styx
by SelenityCosmos
Summary: For some reason the daughter of one of Ares's warlord's wife attracts Ares's attention. He knows that Xena's father isn't really Atrius.
1. Info & Disclaimer

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By The River Styx

Author: Hoshi Tamamushiirono

Rating: If you can watch it on TV you can read this.

Spoilers: To be safe let's say through season four.

Timeline: Various

Summary: For some reason the daughter of one of Ares's warlord's wife attracts Ares's attention. He knows that Xena's father isn't really

Disclaimer: Blood is red, Her eyes are blue, Xena's not mine, For Ares don't sue.


	2. Chosen

Cyrene held her baby daughter in her arms and sang softly, yet the child didn't cease to wail. Not far away, in the Temple of the God of War, Atrius and Ares sat in council, debating the placement of Atrius's troops. "What is that gods-awful noise that disturbs you, Atrius? I have heard it all night. Not only that, you came before me both harried and distracted. This is not acceptable." The God of War growled at the mortal man.

"I apologize, my lord Ares, my wife gave birth to my daughter several hours ago, and the girl hasn't stopped crying. My wife thinks that she will not live out the night, and in preparation for that eventuality, will not let the babe be named." Atrius explained to the god, "I know neither how to stop the child from crying nor how to comfort my wife."

Ares sat pensively in his chair for a time he had gone to Cyrene in she shape of Atrius and enjoyed the love that she felt for her husband. It seemed that she had, now, begot a child. Ares waved his hand and both he and Atrius were in the bedchamber of the dark-haired Cyrene. Ares went to the awed woman and took the child from her arms _Pity_, he thought, _had it been a boy I might have been able to train him. Girls are too week to train in the arts of war._

_Is that so, brother?_ Chimed two female voices in his head. Athena and Artemis appeared so that only Ares could see them. _I will be in share this child with Artemis then. She will belong to Artemis until she turns eighteen, then I will take her as one of mine._ The gray eyed goddess announced to her now furious brother.

Scowling Ares spoke, "She will be mine, and her name will be Xena." he said kissing he on the forehead. To the amazement of three gods and the child's two mortal parents, Xena stopped crying as soon as his lips touched her. Shocked, Ares's voice drifted to the minds of his sisters, _To keep Xena safe, she will belong to the two of you until she kills. If she hasn't killed by her eighteenth year, then Xena is fair game for any of the gods or goddesses who want her. As soon as she kills, she is mine._

Athena heard the protectiveness in her brother's voice and mistook it for possession. _She will never kill, Ares. She will be mine. I will make sure that she never honors you, never serves you, and most importantly never ever_ _loves you! _Athena snapped as she and Artemis disappeared. There was another goddess listening, though, one not blinded by hate for her brother, perhaps the only god or goddess who cared about Ares.

Aphrodite smiled as the child's crib turned into a giant, gossamer-feathered, snow-white swan. The swan's wings made the walls of a tiny bed for Xena, who was instantly dressed in a pink silk dress, "Dite?" Ares growled affectionately, "This is not acceptable." The dress turned the same crystal blue of Xena's eyes and the room was overtaken by draperies, rugs, and an assortment of other finery in the same crystal blue, that offset the ebony wood, matching the girls hair.

Ares smiled, silently thanking the bubbly Goddess of Love, and lay Xena in the new swan-crib. He kissed her on the head once more and, with a flick of his hand and a loving smile, conjured a black, thorn-less rose. He put the rose on her pillow whispering, "Thou art Xena Enyo, and thou art mine." He waved his hand turning her dress form crystal blue to amethyst. "Goodnight, my princess," Ares whispered into the child's ear, then he disappeared in a flash of splintered blue lightning.


	3. Princess

"No!" Xena yelled at her older brother, "Flora and Lyceus are ten **times** better than you!" he young woman scolded. Xena scowled at Taurus then moved to Flora, "Here," she instructed her bast pupil, "Feet apart. Shoulders back… good, Flora, very good. Now, try the Crescent Moon sweep, for the glory of the Moon Goddess, Artemis." She teased her young friend.

"Artemis, Virgin Goddess of the Hunt. Xena? If you ever meet an Amazon, would you tell me? Tell me what they're like and teach me how they fight?" Flora asked her mentor. Flora adored Xena. Xena was strong, brave, and kind. Everything that Flora valued, Xena was. Flora executed the Crescent Moon sweep perfectly, and Xena grinned at her.

"I knew you could do it, Flora, **you** just needed to know! That was magnificent, and I'm sure Ares smiles." Xena encouraged the younger girl. Ares was the God her father worshiped, and so Xena, who loved her father, even though he was gone, modeled herself to be the perfect warrior. She would stop at nothing to please the God of War, and so she learned all she could from whomever she met.

Two years ago at the Temple of Ares, Xena had caught a master thief, Menoitios, steeling from the altar, in return for his life, Xena ordered him to teach her all he knew of knife fighting. Earlier than that one of her fathers old friend, Polemos, had taught her the sword. Xena also worked every day with the priestesses at the Temple of Artemis, Amarynthia, who taught self-defense to women and girls. Amarynthia taught her all sort of things like hunting, fighting (the Amazon way), and to mistrust men. From Glaukopis, a priestess at the temple of Athena, Xena learned strategy, art, craftsmanship, and justice.

Glaukopis was Xena's least favorite teacher. She saw everything in black and white- right and wrong- much like Xena's mother. Polemos, on the other hand, had a terrible temper, but was very much in love with battlelust, not bloodlust, but true battlelust. That craving Xena felt herself. She thought of him as the Destroyer or the Avenger. He was overprotective and vengeful, but he listened.

Xena also adored his twin sister, Eris. Eris was funny and sarcastic, but became more bitter until the morbid day that Polemos arrived without the wickedly clever woman in tow. Polemos told Xena that he would not be coming back- that he had to care for his twin's two children, Strife and Discord. He let her hold him, he had always been very stand-offish unlike his twin's touchy feely attitude, as he told Xena that his father had killed her to punish him. He told her that Eris had been his better half.

There had been some very dark days, Xena nearly turned from her father's patron as she listened to the reports of Ares' armies obliterating the temples and cities of Zeus and Athena. Eventually the storm calmed though and then Enyalius arrived in town. Enyalius reminded Xena of Eris and her brother- but perhaps combined. He was bitter and had a dark humor, but he was also extremely vengeful. Unlike the twins who had trained her, Enyalius was manipulative, cruel, and power hungry.

Now, at sixteen, Xena was the peacekeeper. She settled domestic disputes, played judge when crimes were committed and was the emissary to other towns. She was the only other power in Amphipolis besides her mother. The two rules like lionesses. The two boys were part of the arrangement too, Toris was the "enforcer" and Lyceus was the face. The boys were her mother's favorites. Xena couldn't remember, past age seven, when her mother hadn't been disapproving of her. Cyrene always said that she had too much of Atrius in her.

"Xena?" Lyceus called, "Can you help me with this move?" he asked. Xena smiled and moved from Flora to her younger brother. She worked with him and the other village youths until dusk when Enyalius cane dashing up the hill with news of parents who wanted children home and siblings who had chores for them to do. Toris, Xena, and Lyceus were no exception. Cyrene had work for them. After all, an Inn did not run itself.


End file.
